Sault police now equipped with cameras in their cruisers

Each Sault Ste. Marie Police Service patrol services vehicle features an interior-facing camera that will record occupants in the back seat of patrol vehicles and a front-facing dash camera. (Photo from video)

Aiming to bolster public trust and accountability – and help with investigations -- police in Sault Ste. Marie have equipped their vehicles with cameras.

And once all officers have been trained on the in-car cameras, police will focus on body-worn cameras.

"Each patrol services vehicle features an interior-facing camera that will record occupants in the back seat of patrol vehicles and a front-facing dash camera," police said in a news release Thursday.

"These cameras will record interactions between officers and the public, providing valuable and objective evidence for investigations and prosecutions."

Police Chief Hugh Stevenson said in the release that the cameras will benefit his officers and the public.

"Trust and accountability are cornerstones of effective policing," Stevenson said.

"The implementation of in-car camera systems will ensure unbiased documentation of police interactions, enhancing the safety of both our officers and community members."

Most officers have already been trained on how to use the camera system, with the remaining members scheduled to be trained in the coming weeks. Police must be trained first before using them. A YouTube video explains how the system will work.

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"After being trained on the new system, officers will inform community members at the start of an interaction that the in-car camera system is active and the interaction is being recorded," police said.

The cameras fall under a new police unit dedicated to managing digital evidence, including the camera recordings. The digital evidence management system unit is responsible for managing and redacting digital evidence "to support investigations and prepare evidence for court proceedings," the release said.

After the cruiser cameras have been fully implemented, the next step will be to implement body-worn cameras for officers.